Ingrida Udre Loses Taxation Commissioner Position

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

10 November 2004

It has emerged that EC President Jose Manuel Barroso's initial choice for the role of Taxation Commissioner, Latvian Ingrida Udre has been replaced by outgoing Hungarian Foreign Minister, László Kovács, who had been pegged for the Energy brief within the Commission.

Notice of Ms Udre's planned appointment to the EC taxation post earlier this year raised eyebrows amongst EU parliamentarians, who questioned her anti-EU political track record and failure to respond to allegations of corruption. However, her attitude towards the taxation dispute currently being fought out between the new member states and France and Germany had been welcomed by the former group.

Speaking at her - as it turns out, premature - confirmation hearing at the EU Parliament, she expressed her support for the campaign to create a consolidated tax base in Europe, but stressed that:

"It is the responsibility of each country to choose their tax rate and fair competition is normal in the free market."

According to reports, Mr Kovács, who has been chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party since 1998, has had no direct tax or customs experience during his political career.

Confirmation hearings for the new Taxation Commissioner and the other nominees that Mr Barroso was forced to introduce following an uproar over the planned Justice Commissioner's views on homosexuality are expected to be held later this month. A vote on the new Commission will then be held by the European Parliament at its next plenary session.

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